Ex-Mercedes official’s move to Ferrari key factor in Lewis Hamilton leaving the Silver Arrows - Reports

Mercedes' former Head of Vehicle Performance's move to Ferrari is reportedly a major reason for Lewis Hamilton's move to the Italian outfit.

A report from RacingNews365 claims that Loic Serra's departure from Mercedes is supposedly one of the major factors in Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari. Serra was the Head of Vehicle Performance at Mercedes but was then approached by Ferrari to join them in 2025.

The report also claimed that Fred Vasseur, the Scuderia's team principal, has recruited some crew from Mercedes, and Lewis Hamilton's signing is a part of the same.

Lewis Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz in the team, whose contract expires at the end of the 2024 F1 season. Hamilton will be partnered by Charles Leclerc who recently re-signed with Ferrari in a multi-year deal.

Although the British driver has a contract with Mercedes till the end of the 2025 season, it has a clause allowing him to leave after the 2024 season. Sky Sports reported that Hamilton's move to Ferrari was announced by Mercedes to their crew at their HQ in Brackley.

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What could have led to Lewis Hamilton's departure from Mercedes

Multiple factors could have influenced Hamilton's move to Ferrari. The first and possibly the most major one could be the team's performance capability in recent seasons. Hamilton has not won a single race since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP, primarily because the team hasn't adapted well to the new aerodynamic regulations.

Although Mercedes ended up ahead of Ferrari in the 2023 world championship, there was only a three-point gap between the two teams, and the latter had a better development path as well. This becomes seemingly apparent seeing how the team performed initially during the season compared to their competitors.

This, combined with Loic Serra's departure, could have influenced Hamilton to move out of the team after 11 long years.